Yoon hosts dinner for former President Lee Myung-bak
President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, speaks with former President Lee Myung-bak during their official dinner at the presidential residence in Hannam district in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of presidential office
President Yoon Suk Yeol held a dinner meeting with former President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Monday, in what marked their first official dinner since Yoon took office.
First lady Kim Keon Hee and Chung Jin-suk, Yoon's chief of staff who had served as a senior secretary to Lee for political affairs, also attended the dinner.
The meeting came around a year after Yoon and Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, briefly met at the funeral of Yoon's father in August 2023.
In December 2022, Yoon granted a special pardon to Lee, who had been serving a 17-year prison term for bribery and embezzlement.
The two sides reportedly exchanged views on a wide array of issues. Ruling party officials said their talks also likely touched on South Korea's deal to build nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic.
Lee, a former entrepreneur, is known for his policies focusing on resources diplomacy as well as exports in the energy and arms industries during his term. (Yonhap)